This robot can swim without engine and battery

The team hopes robots swim in the water without a motor and batteries will help handle chemical spills at sea or put drugs into the human body.

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have successfully built a robot model that can move itself underwater without the need for a motor or battery. Robot model is the result of cooperation between Caltech and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich).

Picture 1 of This robot can swim without engine and battery
The robot model can move itself underwater without the need for a motor or battery.

According to Technology, robots use the body's reaction mechanism to heat to create thrust and move in water. As a result, the robot does not need to use any motor or power source.

This robot is made of materials that can deform when the temperature changes. They can shrink and expand to create thrust.

Picture 2 of This robot can swim without engine and battery
This robot is made of materials that can deform when the temperature changes.

The robot's propulsion system relies on flexible plastic strips, which will be rolled up when facing cold water and stretched out when hot water is encountered. The impact from this phenomenon creates a kinetic energy that activates the moving paddles.

Daraio, a professor at Caltech's Department of Engineering and Applied Science, said: "We can use materials with deformed structure to respond to the environment, while controlling and pushing robots to move." .

Picture 3 of This robot can swim without engine and battery
Robot's propulsion system relies on flexible plastic strips.

In particular, these polymer strips can adjust the speed and time of expansion and contraction. Thus the design team can easily adjust the ability to rotate the angle and move at many different speeds.

The research is based on previous work by Daraio and Dennis Kochmann, aerospace professors at Caltech. Research on the special robot model of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) was published in the American National Academy of Sciences.


Introducing the robot model without motor and battery to swim underwater.